There’s been a bit of a lack of blogging due to holidays (click for pics), and family health issues. Also, work has been hectic and there just haven’t been enough hours in the day (or days in the week) to get everything done.
Anyway, that’s enough excuses. Even though I expect to carry on being busy I can’t neglect my music! So I’ve just joined ReverbNation and uploaded the whole of In Dreams for you to listen to at your leisure. If you’d like updates from me please join my mailing list by filling out the box below and you’ll get updates whenever I upload new music, send out information, and there will be some fan exclusive downloads coming soon too!
In Dreams is now available for free download from here.
I hope you enjoy it - please remember that although it is available as a free download I still retain copyright and the music is licensed for listening only. If you wish to use it for any purpose other than personal listening you must contact me to discuss details.
The artwork included in the download includes “angel silhouette” images by Barun Patro. These images are copyright 2008 by Barun Patro and may not be reproduced without his express permission.
After debating for weeks what I’m going to do with 2 albums I’ve recorded over the past few months I’ve finally decided to just give them away for free!
There will be 2 complete albums of Purple Rhapsody music to download soon from here and my other pages so watch this space!
The albums are the same 2 that I’ve been talking about for months - In Dreams and Interludes & Epiphanies.
I’ve never understood anything about EQ - all I’ve ever known is that it can make the difference between an amateur home recording and a professional sounding masterpiece, all without re-recording a single instrument.
I’ve tried EQing various tracks before and although I’ve been able to make some differences using my skill to adjust EQ has been a bit like trying to perform delicate needlepoint with a javelin. Some success but the overall effect is ruined (okay so it’s a really bad metaphor but hopefully you get my drift).
Now, however, I think that there may be light at the end of the EQ tunnel because in this month’s Computer Music magazine (issue 125) there’s a brilliant article and tutorial on how to use EQ. I’ve just tried it out on one of my newer tracks and the results are amazing! There might just be hope for my sound quality yet.
I’ve uploaded a new track to my Trig and MySpace pages for you to listen to.
It’s called Leaving Home and depicts the sorrow, frustration, and loss of leaving loved ones behind. It’s a bit sad but also quite powerful (IMHO of course). It’s very likely that it’ll be on my next album, In Dreams.
Today I got together 5 tracks from the 2 abums I’ve been working on recently and packaged them up to send them off to some music publishers. I’m hoping to succeed with 3 steps:
They’ll actually listen to the music
They’ll like it and so will want to add me to their library
Other people like it and decide to license it for films, TV, and other media
If I get step 1 completed I’ll be happy… step 2 and I’ll be over the moon… and with all the confidence and fate-tempting attitude in the world when step 3 happens my life’s ambitions will be complete (so I’ll need to dream up some others).
I bought a new piece of software the other day - it’s Kinetic 2 from Cakewalk.
It’s, erm, a “Groove” editor! I’ve always been a bit sceptical about these programs because to me they harp back to the old days of having an expensive keyboard with some decent built-in beats together with chords and basslines that you could build up a song using just one or two fingers.
In my opinion what you were really doing is just re-arranging or fiddling about with the music, you weren’t actually composing or performing it really. I know that probably makes me sound like a musical snob but I don’t care… I’ve been lucky enough to be properly taught how to play and so I can use my experience, many people haven’t and tools like these are the only way they can use their creative ‘juices’ effectively.
However…. although Kinetic 2 does allow you to choose from hundreds (or thousands?) of preset beats, basslines, chords, etc, etc, etc it also allows you to build up your own grooves from scratch. I’ve used this today in a track provisionally called ‘Echoes of Purple’ to build up a rhythm using an external drum VSTi and then using Rewire to control Kinetic 2 from my main sequencer program, Sonar 7.
I’m still not completely finished but it was a complete and utter joy to work with these 2 programs together - the building up of the beat and drum parts was simple and controlling Kinetic from Sonar 7 was a piece of cake.
I’m glad I was wrong about Kinetic 2 - thanks Cakewalk!
I’ve been listening to my ‘classical’ album (Interludes and Epiphanies) and I’ve been advised by John at Ninewells Music that it’s hard to market this style of music - classical companies supposedly aren’t interesed unless your name is Beethoven or Mozart
So…. what to do with an album of classical music that it seems nobody is going to want to listen to?
I’ve decided to try and get my foot in the door for TV and/or Film music by sending demos off to music publishers for inclusion into their libraries with the aim of eventually being asked to work on a proper ‘live’ project. It’s unlikely to just fall into my lap but you always need to start somewhere!
I’ve identified a few companies (North Star Music, Rhythm and Muse, and a few others) and they all supposedly accept unsolicited demos… so keep your fingers crossed for me - I’ll be sending the demos off early next week.
Been looking at upgrading my orchestral libraries and visited the EWQL site. They’ve got a ‘complete’ package for only $1000. Can I justify that kind of expense????
Alex Pfeffer has done a great demo using many of the instruments and voices included in the package - check out his blog and listen to Herophobia.
